Table of Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................... v Preface ........................................................................................................................ vii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... xi Table of Cases ........................................................................................................... xxi Table of Legislation ...................................................................................................lvii Chapter 1 Introduction Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Core Principles that apply to Internet Law ................................................................... 5 Importance of the internet ....................................................................................... 5 User-generated content ........................................................................................... 9 Internet v traditional modes of communication .................................................... 11 Liability of intermediaries .................................................................................... 22 The E-Commerce Directive .................................................................................. 28 Privacy and anonymity ......................................................................................... 42 Norwich Pharmacal orders ................................................................................... 43 Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................... 53 Chapter 2 Anonymity Introduction ................................................................................................................ 67 Administration of Justice in Public ............................................................................ 68 Statutory exceptions to the rule ............................................................................ 69 Court reporting by the media ................................................................................ 73 Court’s discretion to restrict publication of plaintiff’s name ................................ 76 Anonymity in other jurisdictions .......................................................................... 76 A Plaintiff’s Right to Anonymity in Legal Proceedings ............................................ 78 Legal Proceedings against Anonymous Defendants .................................................. 82 Anonymity on the Internet .......................................................................................... 84 Identifying anonymous unlawful behaviour ......................................................... 85 Anonymity in Proceedings involving the Internet ...................................................... 87 Right to anonymity for online plaintiffs ............................................................... 87 Proceedings against anonymous online defendants .............................................. 91 Anonymised Privacy Injunctions and ‘Super Injunctions’ ......................................... 97 Is a plaintiff’s anonymity possible in the internet age? ........................................ 98 Chapter 3 Privacy What is Privacy? ....................................................................................................... 107 The Right to Privacy ................................................................................................. 110 Constitutional rights generally ............................................................................ 111 Constitutional right to privacy ............................................................................ 114 The Right to Privacy in Other Jurisdictions ............................................................. 126 Privacy and EU jurisprudence ............................................................................ 130 xi Internet Law Right to privacy in a public place ........................................................................131 Right to privacy at work ......................................................................................135 Right to Privacy and the Internet ..............................................................................136 Online breach of privacy in Ireland .....................................................................137 Breach of confidence ...........................................................................................139 Privacy and revenge porn ....................................................................................141 Right of privacy on social media .........................................................................142 The right to privacy and online anonymity .........................................................146 Liability of Intermediaries for Breach of Privacy .....................................................147 Breach of privacy by search engine results .........................................................147 Liability for user-generated content ....................................................................148 Liability for commercial content .........................................................................153 Privacy in respect of online identification ...........................................................153 Electronic Privacy .....................................................................................................155 Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2011 ...............................156 Proposed ePrivacy Regulation .............................................................................157 Cookies ................................................................................................................158 Defences ....................................................................................................................159 Freedom of expression ........................................................................................159 Right to internet access ........................................................................................165 Right to privacy v freedom of expression ...........................................................168 Balancing rights on the internet ...........................................................................171 Freedom of expression and search engines .........................................................174 Public interest ......................................................................................................183 Consent ................................................................................................................184 Waiver .................................................................................................................186 Reliefs .......................................................................................................................187 Injunctions ...........................................................................................................188 Damages ..............................................................................................................193 Chapter 4 Data Protection Introduction ...............................................................................................................199 General Data Protection Regulation .........................................................................202 What is ‘processing’? ..........................................................................................202 Participants in processing ....................................................................................204 Data processor .....................................................................................................205 What is personal data? .........................................................................................210 What is ‘sensitive’ data? ......................................................................................214 Principles of data protection law .........................................................................214 Limitations to the scope of the GDPR .................................................................216 Data Protection Act 2018 ..........................................................................................227 Remedies ...................................................................................................................229 Proceedings in tort ...............................................................................................229 Availability of damages .......................................................................................231 Data Protection Commission ...............................................................................236 Criminal proceedings ..........................................................................................236 Liability of employer ...........................................................................................237 xii Table of Contents The Right to Rectification and the Right to Erasure (‘the Right to be Forgotten’) .............................................................................................. 239